Nikole Hannah-Jones NamedNABJ 2015 Journalist of the Year

Investigative reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones was announced the 2015 NABJ Journalist of the Year.

The annual award recognizes a black journalist who has distinguished himself or herself with a body of work that has extraordinary depth, scope and significance to people in the African Diaspora.

Hannah-Jones won for her body of work about the continuing segregation of America’s schools. The stories – which she wrote for ProPublica– offer a critical exploration of access to opportunity and educational equity.

Hannah-Jones, who recently was hired by The New York Times Magazine, also has written extensively about housing discrimination and the ongoing litigation of affirmative action, including recent Supreme Court cases such as Fisher v. University of Texas.

An “NABJ Baby,” Hannah-Jones participated in NABJ's internship program and was placed at The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., while pursuing her master's degree in mass communications at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

“Nikole has done powerful work exploring the fight for all Americans, especially people of color, to achieve the 'American Dream.' Educational and economic opportunities are part of that dream,” NABJ President Bob Butler said.

“She used her investigative reporting skills to shine light where it was needed most, and to bring the issues of race and impropriety to the forefront. She is most worthy of NABJ's highest honor.”

Hannah-Jones will be honored with others at the association's Salute to Excellence Gala on Aug. 8 during NABJ's Annual Convention and Career Fair in Minneapolis. The gala recognizes journalism that best covered the black experience or addressed issues affecting the global black community in 2015.

Her coverage of federal failures to enforce the landmark 1968 Fair Housing Act won several awards, including Columbia University’s Tobenkin Award for distinguished coverage of racial or religious discrimination.

_____________________________________________________________

Michel du Cille Named NABJ 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

NABJ has has selected the late Michel du Cille as the recipient of the association’s 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. A respected photojournalist who over the course of a lengthy career earned some of the industry’s highest honors, he was a longtime member of NABJ. Mr. du Cille, who had been a journalist at The Washington Post since 1988, died in December while on assignment in Liberia.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is bestowed upon a journalist with at least 15 years experience in the journalism industry and who is regarded for making an extraordinary contribution to the enrichment, understanding or advancement of black life and culture.

"Michel du Cille was a talented photojournalist whose images were compelling, thought-provoking and immensely powerful," said NABJ President Bob Butler. "While some see the visual image as enhancements to a story, he composed images which were limitless in their ability to themselves tell honest stories."

Mr. du Cille was a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner. The most recent award was given in 2008 to du Cille and two of his colleagues at The Post for their work, which revealed the shocking mistreatment of veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. Two earlier Pulitzers came for his work at The Miami Herald.

“Michel du Cille is one of the greatest photojournalists of his generation, and how

"fortunate for the National Association of Black Journalists that he is one of ours,” said Vanessa Williams, a former president of NABJ and a reporter and editor at The Washington Post.

“du Cille used his talent to explore the human condition – both its beauty and its awfulness – with compassion and intelligence. And we are grateful that he was especially interested in telling the stories of the people of the African diaspora, insisting that the world see people who are often marginalized or ignored.”

At The Post he was the director of photography and an assistant managing editor before returning full-time to work in the field.

NABJ Honors Sports Columnist Bryan Burwell with the 2015 Legacy Award

The Board of Directors of NABJ has selected the late Bryan Burwell as the recipient of the 2015 Legacy Award. Mr. Burwell was a nationally recognized sports columnist, and at the time of his death he wrote for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Recipients of the Legacy Award are recognized for having had a career of extraordinary achievement, which broke barriers and blazed trails.

"Bryan Burwell was a sports journalist who covered historic moments and milestones on the court and on the field. His performance as a journalist set a high bar for others to follow," said NABJ President Bob Butler. "Few reporters can say they covered some of the most important moments in sports across platforms, but Bryan could and he did it extremely well."

In addition to his work as a columnist for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he had been an on-air host for CBS Sports 920 in St. Louis and 101 ESPN Radio, also in St. Louis. On television viewers saw him on ESPN's Jim Rome is Burning and The Sports Reporters.

"Bryan Burwell was an exceptional journalist and an exceptional mentor and friend.

He had a confidence and charisma which made his written work critical and perceptive, and his television commentary biting and forceful,"

said Gregory Lee, past NABJ President and Director, Editorial Content at NBA.com. "A descendant of the first generation of black sportswriters, his exceptional work has ensured that more black sports reporters will have the types of opportunities he had to have impactful careers."

Earlier in his career, Mr. Burwell had been a columnist for USA Today, The Sporting News, The Detroit News, and The New York Daily News. He had also written for Newsday and The Baltimore Sun, and been an on-air contributor to HBO Sports.

Mr. Burwell's honor will be presented to his family at the association's Salute to Excellence Gala on August 8 during NABJ's Annual Convention and Career Fair in Minneapolis.